The LSU volleyball team has taken significant strides toward becoming a more respectable program in the Southeastern Conference.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Tigers have struggled to establish a winning culture in Baton Rouge. In the past two seasons, the University has 18 wins, 40 losses, a .310 winning percentage and 9-27 in the SEC.
LSU has exhibited a high-intensity level of play thus far in 2017. The Tigers started the season swiftly with eight consecutive wins, which was key to the team earning the BASF Team Chemistry MVP Award for September. LSU has followed the fast start with a 15-4 record and a 6-2 in the SEC.
For the seniors who arrived in Baton Rouge three years ago, they made a commitment to a program who had not found an identity for itself. In 2013, the Tigers finished the season 19-13, advancing to postseason play and losing to the Final Four bound Washington in the second round of its regional bracket.
Leadership has been pivotal for the Tigers this season, relying on their seniors to play the role of steering its freshmen in the right direction. Perhaps, the most crucial senior on and off the court for LSU this year has been senior outside hitter Gina Tillis.
After leading the team with 333 kills last season, Tillis’ strong play has translated to her senior season. Tillis is currently second on the team in total kills on the season with 66, trailing only freshman middle blocker Taylor Bannister with 110.
Tillis elaborated on her thoughts of how the program has transformed since she arrived at LSU.
“I think it has grown a lot confidently,” Tillis said. “We grew together as a team and realized how if we just believe in ourselves and believe in each other, when we get on the court, it’s easy to play volleyball next to someone you have trust in.”
The senior class helped lay the foundation of what this group has been able to accomplish thus far. Playing with the same group of players for a lengthy amount of time has helped enhance the team’s growth. By doing this, the players have developed chemistry with each other on the court, which translates to positive results in their matches.
This confidence has led the team to believe they can compete with any team in the country when playing at the same level as them.
“Through the years, it took a while for us to get that trust,”Tillis said. “Now since we got that trust and that confidence, we’re just really rolling with it and feeding off each other’s positive attitudes.”
The tigers have four seniors on their squad, which means the production on the court after this season will not take as big of a hit as most programs around the country. Coach Fran Flory has a surplus of young, raw talent on her team that will continue to polish and craft their skills throughout their time at LSU. With a plethora of underclassmen, the Tigers are expected to get better as the season progresses.
“I think we are still growing,” Tillis said. “We don’t know how good we could really be, so being at mid-season right now and have a lot more SEC play, I think we are gonna grow a lot more, and I think it’s going to be really cool to see.
With the Tigers having 10 regular season games remaining, they have plenty of time to fill in the holes and improve before postseason play approaches. LSU hopes to maintain a consistent level of success and develop a culture of flourishing being an expectation.